Ecommerce software - analytical review of different options

If you are an artist and want to market and sell your art online then one of the things you'll end up doing sooner or later is investigate ecommerce software. The aim will be to try and evaluate whether any of them do what you want and which one might work best for you.

For those who have never had to deal with anything more threatening than a new version of Microsoft Office, this can be a major challenge!

The first thing you learn is that, with few exceptions, most of the software is generic and not targeted at artists.

I've just come across a website called G2Crowd which provides a way-in to:

• understanding what the options exist relating to ecommerce software
• typically in-depth customer reviews for different products
• an evaluation and rating of different business software according to market presence and customer satisfaction

Home Page - GCrowd website

The idea behind the site is that there is too much spin out there in relation to products available for sale in the marketplace - and not enough well informed reviews.  

• The idea is to eliminate "vendor spin and outdated analyst reports".  
• Products ranks are aggregated from peer reviews and social data. 
• The reviews are intended to be real, unbiased feedback or ....advice from people who had actually implemented and used the software and related services

This, for example, is its page relating to ecommerce software and below is the widget it uses for demonstrating how one site relates to another.

• The y axis is documenting presence in the marketplace with those in the top half being the bigger players
• the x axis looks at the satisfaction scoring attributed to different sites - with the more established sites tending to have more and higher scoring ratings.

These are the policies for grid rating objectives and grid rating methodology. 

Compare Best E-Commerce Software

This is how GCrowd describes the four quadrants of the four cell table

The best E-Commerce Software products are determined by customer satisfaction (based on user reviews) and scale (based on market share, vendor size, and social impact) and placed into four categories on the Grid:

• Leaders offer E-Commerce products that are rated highly by G2 Crowd users and have substantial scale, market share, and global support and service resources. Leaders include:Amazon Webstore, Paypal, PayPal Payments

• High Performers provide products that are highly rated by their users, but have not yet achieved the market share and scale of the vendors in the Leader category. High Performers include: Miva Merchant, ChargeBee, Shopify, Demandware, cleverbridge, BigCommerce

• Contenders have significant scale and resources, but their products have received below average user satisfaction ratings or have not yet received a sufficient number of reviews to validate their products. Contenders include: Magento, IBM WebSphere Commerce, Yahoo Merchant Solutions

• Niche vendors do not have the scale and market share of the Leaders. They may have been rated positively on customer satisfaction, but have not yet received enough reviews to validate their success. Niche include: Zuora, CloudCraze

It's worth taking a look and checking out what you currently use (I've just had some validation of my choice to use PayPal for payments by clients!) and investigating how well it stacks up relative to competitors.

To the extent that dedicated software for artists actually exists, you can assess whether (1) it's recognised and (2)  its performance in the market in general for that type of product.

The ecommerce categories for software are

• E-Commerce Platform
• Digital E-Commerce
• Shopping Cart
• Live Chat
• Order & Fulfillment Management
• Payment Gateway
• Product Reviews
• Subscription Management

Click any of these links above and you can find the software which comes into this category.

Use the column on the left to define attributes and further sub-categories which you want to focus on. You'll end up with a list of options for your particular needs eg for Digital E-Commerce Software

You can also use the platform to assess other business and marketing software - for example, find out which product is rated as the best email marketing tool

QoR - a new watercolour paint

Yesterday I updated my website The Best Watercolour Paint for Artists and included a new section about a new artists' watercolour paint which becomes available in the USA next month.

branding on the new dedicated QoR website

QoR WaterColor paint is produced by Golden who are well known for their acrylic paints.

The new section devoted to this paint includes links to:

• the new dedicated website
• other information about the new paint made available by Golden
• reviews and comments on the new paint by artists (eg Cathy Johnson) who have been provided with samples

Initial indications are that Golden's experience in acrylics is maybe also obvious in the formulation of this new paint. It'll be interesting to see what those painting traditional watercolours think of it.

RECOMMENDATION: I suggest people try one of the six colour trial pack of colours in the first instance to see whether they like how this new paint behaves.

Please report your experience of this new paint after you get your hands on it wherever is best for you. You can include a comment on this post if you like.

I expect that the website will undoubtedly expand and there will more information about availability in terms of distribution to art stories and online retailers in different countries in the near future.  My experience of such things is that roll-out might be somewhat slow with a focus on the USA only in the short-term. I'll update my website as and when new information becomes available. I won't be including sites which merely repeat a press release.

Arches Huile Oil Paper, Paper Rolls and Paper Pads - reviews and prices

Arches Oil Paper Pad (140 lb x 12 sheets)

Below you can find

• a video by Professor Steve Levin and Canson about the Arches® Oil paper: A new paper for oil painting
• links to reviews of the Oil Paper and Oil Paper Pads introduced by Arches.
• details of suppliers and the prices they've got for the different types of Arches oil paper on their websites as of today's post. It includes both UK (£sterling) and USA ($American) so be careful which one you're looking at

Noted characteristics of the paper are:

• 100% cotton paper - thus much lighter than all normal supports for plein air painting
• paper is deckle edged 
• NOT-type surface 
• range of alternative sizes - from pads to paper to rolls
• ready to use

Comments about performance include

• eliminates the need for preparation
• easy to cut to different sizes
• easily rolled for transport
• strong paper - does not degrade when scrubbed
• capable of taking oil paint without medium or thinners; paint and pigment stay on the surface of the paper and do not sink into the paper - hence no need to prime with gesso
• can take a lot of solvent - which doesn't leak through paper or under tape - plus paper does not buckle when wet
• absorbent - but views as to how absorbent it is very much depend on what people usually paint on; experience seems to be generally similar to painting on primed canvas
• paint takes the same time to dry as other surfaces
• possible to combine oil paint with other drawing media
• oil paper pads provide a backing which means no need for a board to paint on 'en plein air'
• great for oil sketches
• needs to be framed under glass (that's because framing relates to the nature of the support as much as the media used)

Jerry's Artarama provides an instruction sheet - which includes guidance on how to frame

Reviews of Arches Huile Oil Painting Pads

• This is a link to a review of the oil paper pads by Haidee-Jo Summers for The Artist
• This is a review by artist Ian Price who did a 2hr Oil sketch portrait on Arches Huile paper
• This is a forum discussion on Wet Canvas about the new oil painting paper
• Other reviews can be found on art supplier sites - links to which are contained in the table below

Suppliers

These are the art supplies people who have it in stock - and the prices they're charging

	PADS 9 inches x 12inches	PADS 12 inches x 16 inches	PAPER 22 inches x 30 inches 1.3 x 9.15 metres	PAPER 51 inches x 10 yards	No. of reviews on site
UK
Ken Bromley Art Supplies	£11.05	£17.45			4 reviews
Heaton Cooper	£13.50	£20.50
Jackson’s Art Supplies	£11.10	£17.50	£5.10	£111.00	4 reviews
USA
Dick Blick - Arches Oil Paper				$156.65	rated 4.7 (3 reviews)
Dick Blick - Arches Oil Paper Pads	$9.77	$17.19			rated 5.0 (3 reviews)
Jerry’s Artarama	$12.31	$21.58	(pack of 10 sheets) $74.06	$201.35
The Paint Spot	$19.16	$23.96

Remember to check out the cost of shipping goods to you. (Not included above as it depends where you live and how big your order is)

The Top Five Artists' Watercolour Paints in 2013

Personal preferences were expressed in the product review poll "Which are the best artist-quality watercolour paints? (2012 / 13)" on my website Which is the best brand of watercolour paint for artists?

The chart below records the results of 360 responses.

Derived from
Which are the best artist-quality
watercolour paints? (2012 / 13)

The TOP FIVE WATERCOLOUR PAINTS IN 2013 are:

1. Winsor & Newton - 27%
2. M. Graham Watercolour Paints - 11%
3. Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints - 10%
4. Fine Schminke Horadam Aquarell - 9%
5. Sennelier Aquarelle Extra - 8%

It's basically Winsor & Newton way out in front and then four brands - two American and two European - bringing in the next significant group of artist grade paints.

Those who are unfamiliar with M. Graham Watercolor Paints may be surprised they came second. However you should note:

• Reviews of these paints generally provide high praise for the quality, saturation and lightfastness
• 95% of those buying this paint from Dick Blicks would recommend them to a friend.
• The Wilcox Guide to the Finest Watercolours gave high ratings to these paints across the watercolour range.

Below that most paints got little or no support of significance - although there is a good spread of those that did get votes

The chart below reflects the paints in the poll in alphabetical order - and indicates the percentage of the vote each attracted.

The ranking of different brands of paint - in percentage order - follows the chart

Ranking of Watercolour Paints

This is the final ranking for the 2012-13 Poll to identify

• 27% - Winsor and Newton Artists Watercolours 
• 11% - M. Graham Watercolor Paints
• 10% - Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints 
• 9% - Fine Schminke Horadam Aquarell
• 8% - Sennelier Aquarelle Extra
• 6% - Holbein Artists Watercolor
• 3% - Royal Talens
• Rembrandt
• St. Petersburg Watercolors
• 2%
• Daler Rowney Artists Watercolours 
• Kremer Pigmente Watercolors
• 1% 
• Da Vinci
• Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor Paints
• Grumbacher Watercolor - Finest
• Lukas Aquarell
• Maimeri Blu
• Mijello Mission Gold Watercolors
• Royal Talens - Van Gogh
• Shin Han Premium Watercolors

The following paints failed to get a vote:

• Art Spectrum Artists Watercolours
• Blockx Extra Fine Watercolors
• Holbein Irodori Antique Watercolor
• Old Holland Classic Watercolours
• Pebeo Fragonard Extra-Fine Artists' Watercolors
• Robert Doak's Concentrated Watercolors
• Stephen Quiller Watercolors
• Utrecht Artists' Watercolors

I'll be posting a new Poll for 2014 in the next few days.

Luminance 6901 Coloured Pencils - comparative prices for open stock

I've had a bit of a splurge on Luminance 6901 Coloured Pencils by Caran d'Ache!  Here's my haul from Monday's Private View of the Pastel Society Exhibition at the Mall Galleries 

Caran d'Ache Luminance Coloured Pencils
£2.49 each from open stock at the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition!

I've been building up my stock of Luminance Coloured Pencils slowly - because they are expensive.

I love their intense pigmentation, the way they go down and the degree of coverage I can get without effort.  However most of all I love the fact they are the only accredited lightfast coloured pencil range on the market - as in "meets the International 6901 Standard".

For me, if you're producing coloured pencil artwork for sale you must use lightfast pencils which will not fade - guaranteed!

If I have to choose, I prefer a pencil which meets an accredited technical quality standard on lightfastness rather than one where I have to rely on the quality assurance of the manufacturer. I see my preference reflected in the way other media has changed in recent years - and so it will come to pass it will happen to coloured pencils too - in time.

Caran d'Ache Display Stand
at Pastel Society Annual Exhibition
at the Mall Galleries

However there's no getting away from the fact that Luminance 6001 pencils are expensive.  I don't mind that so much - quality costs etc.  However it does mean I'm building a collection from open stock rather than laying out a huge sum to buy the whole range.  [ Note: I've listed the comparative prices from different suppliers at the end ]

So when I see pencils for sale at a much reduced cost (£2.49 per pencil ) I stand in front of the display stand and work out how many I can buy without making my eyes water.

Turns out on Monday night it was rather a lot - see the pic at the top.

These are very much "me" colours - i.e. the colour palette I like to work with so my new collection both provides back-up pencils and some new colours I've not worked with before.

This is the complete colour chart for Luminance Pencils

I may just have to go back and get some more - that's if you don't beat me and get there first!

For more about the different brands of Coloured Pencils see my website Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists.

Note: Caran d'Ache are sponsoring the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition - hence the display stand of coloured pencils and pastel pencils etc in the Mall Galleries.  It also has other Caran d'Ache products and Luminance 6901 pencils in tins.

Comparative prices for Luminance 6901 Pencils in the UK

Comparative prices for Luminance pencils bought as individual pencils from open stock are listed below together with indications as to postage costs for pencils bought online.

Product	Luminance 6901 coloured pencils | OPEN STOCK
Recommended retail price:  £2.99 or £3.10 Depends on who is quoting it!
Name of Retailer	Face to face £ price	Online £ price	£ postage
Amazon		£2.70	Various options
Jackson Art	£2.70	£2.70	Free over £39
Artifolk		£2.69	Free over £10
Pencils4Artists		£2.55	£1.95
Mall Galleries	£2.49		n/a

Note:  The Mall Galleries price only applies for the duration of the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition which ends on 22 June.  Caran d'Ache are the 2013 Sponsors of the Pastel Society Exhibition.

IKEA Hemnes Bookcases do not sag!

This is an update on my previous posts about the introduction of IKEA Hemnes Bookcases into my home last May.

• Hemnes Bookcase x 4 for "The Art Library" #1 - shows you what I bought - the Hemnes 90cm wide bookcase by IKEA. ie the naked version as per IKEA catalogue
• Hemnes Bookcase x 4 for "The Art Library" #2 - RESULT! - this shows you the top two thirds of the first one we made up - loaded with books
• Reviews: Hemnes Bookcases - after the carpentry! - This shows you what three look like together and screwed to the wall to avoid them toppling.  

One year on I continue to highly recommend these bookcases.  They are the most satisfactory purchase I've ever made in terms of quality and cost and housing books.

The bookcases are made of robust wood and have shown absolutely no signs of sagging due to the very heavy weight of my art books during the last 12 months since I got them.

Here's a picture of the top five shelves of a couple of them.  We are talking seriously heavy weight art books.  I stagger just shifting a small pile of them!  As you can see there is absolutely no sagging after a year doing a good job.

Hemnes bookcases do not sag when used for heavyweight art books

It is worth noting that since many of books are oversized I've had to resort to lying them down on their sides so that I am can then make most effective use of the shelves and space available.  It just takes a little longer to get at the one at the bottom of the pile.

I'd rather do it this way than have yet another bookcase so it can look "smarter".  I'm a fan of shelves stuffed full of books and in case would continue to stuff books in them even if I tried being neater/smarter.

All I ask is that I can have a rigorous library categorisation system (I'm nearly there)

Almost a full size view of Bookcase 2
Shelf 1 (top) Botanical Art - Art history on left and instruction on right
Shelf 2: Design and Composition on left and Colour on right
Shelf 3: Coloured Pencils on left and Pastels on right
Shelf 4: Van Gogh and David Hockney - plus misc. small art history books
Shelf 5: Warercolour painting
Shelf 6: Drawing pads, large and small Moleskine and Daler Rowney sketchbooks plus some very big books

You can click the images to see larger images if you'd like to try and read the titles of my books!